\$oiT 9. CONTAINING A SKETCH €F THE CHARACTER OF THE LATE Revd. GEORGE WALKER, F. R> S. i AND PRESIDENT OF THE LITERARY AND PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY AT MANCHESTER, WITH PR4CTICAL REFLECTIONS, PREACHED 3d MAY, 1807, BEFORE THE \ SOCIETY OF PROTESTANT DISSENTERS, ASSEMBLING ON THE HIGH PAVEMENT, 1 > * NOTTINGHAM ; PRINTED AND SOLD BY E. B. ROBIN30N. MDCCCVII. The following Discourse was composed, as will be evident on the perusal of it, solely for the use of the Society to which it was addressed, and without any view to publication. Ia printing of a few copies, the Author has complied with the request gf several Friends, who were present when it was preach ed. Some delay has been occasioned by an attempt to procure materials, from which might be drawn up a history ofthe life, and a review of the writings, ofthe late Mr. WALKER : but this design is abandoned in consequence cf information, that c distinct publication qf the kind is in a state of preparation m another quarter. NOTTINGHAM, May 23d. 1807% S E RMON, &c, Ecclesiastes, 1st Chap. 4th Ver4e'.< One generation passeth amay^ And another ge neration cometh. A HIS obvious and trite remark of the' wise king of Israel, uttered, as it should seem, under a most exquisite feeling of disap pointment, and a very strong impression of the unsatisfactory and transitory nature of all human enjoyment, is readily acknowledged B (4) to be founded in ttuth by every one who is in any wise capable of observation and reflec tion. But, like many other indisputable facts and useful remarks, it is, by the major ity of mankind, usually repeated with little feeling and still less reflection* Something they wish to say, which may appear to be pertinent, when instances of hum an mortality obtrude on their attention; and those remarks, which present themselves with little, or no, effort of the mind, are best suited to their habits of intellectual inactivity. Nevertheless it is an observation which, -when suggested by the deaths of those, who have stood in intimate relation to us, or who have occupi ed stations of importance and utility, is preg nant with materials , for meditation and in struction. And may not the recent death of One, who, for a period of about Five and Twenty years, was Pastor to this religious Society, naturally enough lead the minds of those, who were his Flock, or otherwise intimately connected or acquainted with him, to meditate with ad vantage on the observation in the text, that (5) one generation passeth away* and another ge neration cometh ? Apprehending that the words are suitable to the object I have in view, I beg leave to direct your attention at this time to some reflections, which are sug gested by the consideration, that he^ who was once your Minister, is now no m»re, and that his place is occupied by others, who. also hold it only for a short seasou, and must then withdraw, and make way for their suc cessors. i Anticipating a remark, which will naturally be made, that the connection between the gen tleman referred to and this Society was inter rupted, a few years ago, by his removal to a distant residence, I would just observe, that, though such a separation existed, his affec tionate concern, for the welfare of a Society witK which he had been so long connected, Continued to the end of his life ; and that he would gladly have renewed the relation, which had been thus interrupted : hilt the increasing weakness of his voice, which rendered him inaudible except in a very small assembly, with some other circumstances, prevented such a renewal. As he entered into no new connection, which weakened his attachment to this Society, as he was desirous of again residing among us, and, whenever he had the opportunity, received pleasure in visiting us, he might, from the regard he still retained for. you, and the concern he expressed for your present, and eternal, welfare, be. consi dered as continuing, in inclination and affec tion, till his death, your pastor. On this ground I shall speak of him in the same man ner I would have done, had his pastoral con nection with you subsisted tothe time of his decease. Contemplating, then, his ministerial re lation tp you as now completely interrupted by death, are you not led, by the mournful reflec tion, to trace in your memories, while recol^ lection is yet strong, the lively image of him, who, but a few months since, was present among you, and from this pulpit addrest to 3\on, with pleasure and affectionate earnestness, tfje. \vords of religious exhortation ? Do not your busy memories trace, and retrace* the features of the man, least the, impressions (7) should escape, and. the fugitive ideas leave a vacuity in your minds ? Does not Fancy actively, and fondly, conjure up, and present before your intellectual eye, the dear and ve nerable shade? Do we not, in imagination, still seem to see his countenance beaming with intellect and benignity ? Do we not still seem to heal' the earnest admonitions of wisdom and* tender affection flowing from his lips ? But, vivid as may be the ideas of his person, which yet exist in our minds, they will (however fre quently revived) gradually fade away, till at length there remain only obscure and indistinct images. How painful is the reflection, that we cannot, by any effort of our memories, long preserve a lively image of the countenance and person of our deceased friends ! Happily, however, of their talents, their acquirements, and their virtues, the impress ions are not liable to be thus speedily effaced. They may continue deep and lasting, to pre-? serve our reverence and affection for their memories, to excite our regret for their loss, our emulation of their good examples, and our desire to be, in like manner, loved and (8 ) esteemed, by those, whom we shall leave be hind, when our season of departure shall arrive. From a recollection, then, in Fancy of the evanescent ideas ofthe person of your late Mi nister, let us turn our thoughts to a review of his virtues, talents, and acquirements. What a roman poet said, perhaps with some degree of arrogance, "I shall not altogether die>" mean-> ing that his poetical productions would pre serve the remembrance of his name, that a, truly good man may, with, a just and becoming confidence, say to himself, in reference to his good name : since the remembrance of his, virtuous character will be cherished in, the memories of those, by whom his living worth was known and valued, when his body shall be mouldering into the clods ofthe valley. With a timid hand, I attempt to delineate. the character of that great and good man, your. farmer Pastor, the Revd. George Walker. Sensible of the difficulty of attaining to that accuracy of discrimination and that compre hension of detail, which are requisite to the just (9) and complete delineation of his character, I feel, I am now especially in need of that can dour, without the hope of experiencing which I could at no time dare to solicit your attention. Remember, then, that I attempt not to give a finished portrait : a lively sketch, if such I can execute, is my utmost aim. In the moral portraiture of your deceased pastor, the most striking features to me ap pear to have been disinterested benevolence and genuine simplicity of manners. To every sordid, selfish, feeling, to every mean artifice,' and subterfuge, I believe him to have been an utter stranger. His chief delight was to behold others happy, and to make them so, as much as might be within his power. In these re spects he bore a strong resemblance to that prime exemplar of moral excellence, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The benevolence of his heart was displayed not only in the zeal, with which he engaged in, and promoted, every grand measure, cal culated to advance the present comfort and the future welfare of his fellow creatures, but also ( io) in the overflowings of good will, which, upon ordinary occasions, prompted him to those! little attentions, those minuter acts of kind ness which, in the man of the world, are the produce of artificial politeness, but in him were the unstudied suggestions of Christian courtesy, of genuine benevolence; Nor less striking was the Unaffected sim plicity of his manners, so inexpressibly attract ive ! His full stored, and always lively, mind indulged in common to sportive sallies of w\fe and merriment, with the innocence, and play fulness, of a child. Happily, he had none of that gloomy gravity, that austere reserve, which often accompany distinguished talents and attainments, and are so repulsive to the freedom of conversation and intercourse: While, at the same time, he never lost sight of the respect which is due to Sacred subjects,' nor ever sanctioned licentious conversation* Replete with pleasantry, he could, on proper occasions, be as strictly serious as any man. His aversion to every thing that bote are- semblance to guile and dissimulation was open ( H ) and a, vowed \ nis abhorrence of deceit he, ©n, every occasion, strongly exprest : and hjs. own, uniformly undisguised, unreserved, con duct fully proved, that he inwardly felt, that aversion, which he outwardly manifested. For no motives of worldly policy, or selfish regard, could prevail upon him to have recourse to, or to countenance in others, those petty artifices, for the accomplishment of even the best de signs, which are too commonly resorted to, and thought allowable, by many, who are ac- l*iowledged to be, in the main, upright and well intentioned persons. To him was strictly applicable the character of '•Nathanael, that he was an Israelite indeed in whom there was no guife, He really was the man, which he appeared to be : So that his character was as completely developed, by the intercourse of a few days, as by an in timacy of several years. At the very first in terview, he exhibited the marks of a most be* nevolent and cheerful disposition, of an open and unreserved temper, of a sincere love of truth and virtue, of a most vigorous and com prehensive njind, which was ever active, and ( 12 )¦ ever communicative. And these qualities he continued to display, without interruption, during the prolongation of intimacy and friend ship to its utmost extent. Moreover his disinterested benevolence and genuine simplicity of manners appear to have been cherished, and uniformly exerted, not Only from a conviction of their intrinsic excel lence and loveliness, but also from a deep and' abiding sense, that they are indispensable to the approbation and favour of almighty God, and to the existence of genuine vital religion'. In his eyes nothing was more contemptible and detestable than religions hypocris}'. His disapprobation of the parade of engaging in. religious exercises, so often made by men whose lives are disgraceful to their Christian profession, he always exprest in the most for cible language. He was of opinion, I apprehend, that Christ ians often are accustomed to enter upon prayer mechanically, and without having their minds in a suitable frame : for I have heard him re mark, more than once, '-that prayer is a most (solemn actj and that it is -highly indecent to ( 1? ) rush hastily into our maker's presence on every slight occasion." Though he greatly disap proved of ostentatious devotion, and hence, as well as from his habits of forgetfulness and in attention, was probably sometimes led to neg lect those family exercises of grayer which by others are thought to be obligatory, yet is there sufficient reason to believe, that he was, in fact, a devout man : for, from his conver sation, it was evident, that he inwardly che rished, and strongly felt, those affection* to wards the Divinity, which constitute the very essence of devotion. If our Saviour's words be true, that out of the fulness of the heart the mouth speakethj we have abundant evidence ofthe piety of our deceased friend : since the expressions of his devout feelings, if not artificially excited at regularly recurring periods, nevertheless spon taneously flowed from his lips and his heart, when the subject tended to the excitement of such affections. As prayer, strictly speaking, is an act of the mind, and what is usually denominated pray- ( H) cr, no other than the outward expression Of inward feelings, which may he felt "and cherished without the external sign, it ought n&t- hastily to be concluded, that all those persons are indevaut, anddevoid of piety, who offer not outwardly, and verbally, prayer to God. Many serious contemplative men, of whom Milton is in the number, have, I believe, like our deceased friend, been truly devout in heart, and under the full influence of a principle of piety, who have been less" strict and regular, than is usual with religious persons, in the observance of family prayer. Take notice, however* that I do not de fend their practice ; because, for several weighty reasons, it appears to me to be objec tionable : but truth and justice demand, that their characters should be vindicated from a charge of indevotion, which charge those, whose piety and devotion consist more in the expressions ofthe lips, and in outward cere monies, than in the state of the heart, and sincere love to God and man, are always dis posed to bring forward. Without hesitation, therefore, I Assert, that there is good reason (is) to believe, the benevolence of disposition, artel the simplicity ©f manners, exhibited by youjf deceased Pastor, were inwardly chetrishedj cand uniformly exerted, by him, from a pria&bipte &f piety, from a reverence for God, from ge* Maine Vital religion ¦. But of One, whose Conduct Was uniformly swayed by such principles as sincere, unos* tentatious, piety, disinterested heuevoleucev and genuine shnphcity, may vrfc not, with; truth affirm, that he tvas a good man? 4 good man such as is rarely to be met with in these days of general corruption ? The prhv* ciples, by which he was actuated, doubtless lie at the foundation of goodness ; tfiey are the root and trunk from which bjcanch forth all. the other virtues ; they are the very stamina ©f moral excellence. Nevertheless, let it not be imagined, that, in making the assertion, that he was a good man, and so good a man as is rarely to be met with, in these days of general corruption, I mean to affirm, or wish it to be under* stood, that he was devoid of moral imperfec* tion, that in his conduct there were no erroura ( 16). nor defects. A representation of that kind would be to describe him as more than hu man. And I am not at all inclined to act conformably to the sentiment in the well known Latin proverb* " Ofthe dead let us hear only that which is good : " since I be lieve such a sentiment not to be the dictate of true wisdom and sound policy. A partial delineation of character will ever excite, in those, to whom the originals are unknown, such a suspicion of its justness, and cause so great a detraction from its excellence on account of supposed concealed defects, as must eventually be injurious, rather than advantageous, to the memory of the dead, and must render their examples less profitable, than they otherwise would be, to the living. That justice may be done to a great and good character, I would say, in the words of Shak- spear, " Nothing extenuate, nor set down aught in malice : " I would say, speak the truth, and the whole truth- In that way let the worth ofthe virtuous dead find its level, (which it will be sure to do) in the public es timation. (17) Under such a persuasion then, and from a desire of doing justice to an exalted character, I proceed to speak of the errours and defects of him to whose eminently good qualities I am bearing testimony. As might be expect ed, his errours and defects were such as were allied to his virtues ; were those which arose out of his predominant feelings, his peculiar views, his supereminent talents, and his acci dentally established habits. Ever glowing with the ardour of bene volence, and actuated by pure intentions ; conscious of possessing distinguished talents, which were always actively employed ; accus tomed to think originally, and altogether to judge for himself; (a line of conduct which he seemed to perceive was but little pursued by others, either from a distrust of their own powers, or from indolence in the exertion of them, or from a disgraceful surrender. of opinion to answer some meau end of worldy policy, ) he' was ever ready to assume the lead in any transactions to a share of which he might be called : and, as he rarely met with those, who had an equally enlarged viewoftbe C ia ) subject, or who could effectually oppose him in argument, a proneness to dictate to the judg ment of others ^t length stole insensibly upoi| him, and rendered him averse to that contra* diction, which he would have thought himself gntitled to oppose to the opinions of any efthfer man. That he was apt to be dictatorial can-: not, I think, be denied : but that he ever meant to be so, or was sensible of being so, I can hardly suppose, ¦ , ?y When that irritability, -which mostly acr companies geniys or great mental vigour, be came, by the earnestness of debate, strongly ©xeited, ;- it sometimes impelled him to an unbecoming warmth of expression, and a mo mentary ebullition of passion : but which left behind them no traces of malignity ; and in no degree restrained, or limited, the effusions of his benevolence, or chilled the ardour of his friendship. ¦ ¦¦¦•» - -.(> To the controul of that benevolence and simplicity, which were the striking features of his moral portrait, he appeared to yield himself yg as sufficient guides of his conduct ? and. #ftlie hje patd little 4ttetttwtt t©; tfals1 acfcustWri4 ed to SpealE «^tgi*^ittttfciy sdme other subject, or other btlsinessy Of engagement. The almost. inCessarit occupation of his1 thoughts on subjects of science or literature, in conduction witlithe earnestness, with which he engaged in the discussion of any subject, induced a ha*bit of carelessness, and inatten tion, and of disregard to punctuality, in respect to those engagements which hi i situation inlife, knd his inclinations, . might lead him to make. This habit of forgetfulness. and want of punc tuality," often occasioned, to himself, arid to his friends, difficulty and embarrassment : tho' such were the extraordinary energies of his mind, that, Where they could avail him, he woufd Extricate himself, by the accomplish ment of any mental process with a rapidity, impracticable, and scarcely credible, by one of ordinary talents.' That, in later life, he la mented his having been enslaved by such a habit, I very well know. And I have no tlOubt of his hiving been experimentally con vinced, that his usefulness had thereby been considerably diminished; ( **> Such, fhen, are thg, deductions to be tirade from the sum of moral excellence and useful!1 ness, exhibited by this man of very superior talents and virtues. But shall they be consi dered of that amount, as to detract much from our warm affection and high respect for his memory? Where is the character, excepting that of Jesus of Nazareth, our great Prophet, which has not blemishes ? When the errours and defects of our deceased friend; are east in to the opposite scale to that in which are his excellencies, they will be found so Hght, aa not at all to raise the preponderating scale, as not in any wise to move the steadfast beam. Numbers of Men, whose moral excellence has been inferiour, and whose blemishes, though of a different description, equal, if not great er, have been extolled as prodigies of good ness. But, from a contemplation of the virtues, let ns turn our attention to a considerfition of the talents and intellectual acquirements, of your deceased Pastor. To attempt to appre ciate the splendid talents, and the extensive and various acquirements, of this good man CM 5 tonight be regarded as presumption in nid : t» therefore, beg leave to quote the words of one} whose universally acknowledged ppe-etamencd as a.Scholar, and whose well known impartial ity, as well as long intiw*acy "With your late Pastor, seem to ewtitte him most deservedly to credit : I mean the late eminently great and! good Gilbert Wakefield, to have enjoy ed the! instruction and the friendship Of whom, I regard as one of the most propitious inci dents of my life. His language, speaking of Ms. Walker, is as follows, "This Gentle man, take him for all in all, possesses the greatest variety of knowledge, with the mo$t masculine understanding of any man I ever knew. He is, in particular, a Mathematician. of singular accomplishment. His " Treatise on the Sphere, " long since published, and one upon the " Conic Sections, " are the vouchers of my assertion. His two volumes of " Sermons " are pregnant \pth the celestial fire of genius, and the vigour of noble senti ments. His " Appeal to the people of En- Vide Memoirs of Gilbekt Wakwisid, New Edjtion, Vel. 1st. Eage?27. ( 24 j gland " ort the subject of the* Test Baws1 Would not be much honoured by my testimony iii its favour^ as -the best pamphlet published on that occasion^ were not this judgement Coin cident with the decision ofthe Hon. C. J. Fox; who declared to a friend of mine the same 6- pinion of its excellence; Having quoted this ample testimony td the superiority of the talents and acquire ments of Mr. Walker, I beg leave, by con tinuing the quotation, to corroborate the state ment I have made of his moral character. **But these qualifications," adds Mr. Wake field, "great ahd estimable as they are, con stitute but a mean portion of his praise. Art thou looking, Reader, like Esop in the Fable, for a man ? t)ost thou, want an intrepid spirit in the cause of truth, liberty, and virtue, an undeviating rectitude of action — a boundless hospitality — a mind superior to every sen sation of nialice and resentment— a breast sudeptible of the truest friendship, arid over-, flowirig ¦with the milk of human kindness — ¦ an ardour, an enthusiasm, in laudable pur suits, characteristic of magnanimity — an un- i&5 > wearied assidiuty, even to his own hindrance* m public services? , My experience can as^ sure thee, that thy pursuit may cease, thy doubts be banished, and thy hope be re alised ; for this is the man. Who now will Stay to compute the deduction,' which must be made from this sum of excellence, for sal lies of passion, devoid of all malignity, and often excited by a keen indignation against? vice ; and for vehemence and pertinacity of dis- tion ? His excellencies are capital virtues, his defects ai;e petty failings." ' ' ' - , r Thus have I endeavoured to give you a sketch of the character of your late pastor, who died at the advanced age of Seventy-tone, while his. intellectual faculties were yet vigorous. He is now passed away, and all connection with us interrupted by death : I trust, there fore, that this review of his character will in spire us, both Ministers and People, with a solemn resolution, that we will, as far as we are able, transcribe into pur own characters those moral excellencies, which, in his, were £jp conspicuous, and, at the same time,, moslj ( my gedohmsfy guard against the errours and de fects to which we may Be pft)«e : *mce errours gad: defect* cad, we perceive* blemish evert Ihe most exalted characters, For the observation ha the text, that one generation passeth away and aaotfce'f cbmeth^' Should kad us to reflect not only en the cha* xaetsers of the great and good, ^Buo may be re cently departed, bust also, that we are feat link, in the chain of successive generations, by which the generation! just passat away must be connected with the rising generation; ara^ that we exist for a few years, partly, is it should1 seem,- for thepurpos&of transmitting^ the' virtues aurd usefulness of dm- predecessors. in existence to ^ase> whet shall succeed patch pf bus/mess, by not suffering an object ef present attention to encroach unduly or* that portion oftimewhiGh ought to be devote f d to other concerns., we shall best promote ^.nd preserve, our capacity for usefulness, and ( 32 ) our comfort and welfare. I must, farther, add, that, as we also must soon depart hence, and our places be occupied by the rising gene-r ration, we should be particularly attentive to their instruction, and endeavour to give a pro per direction to the habits which they are ge nerating , and thus render them distinguish- edly useful to their contemporaries, and ex emplary to their successors ; that distant ge nerations may be benefited by our wise and virtuous conduct. May such be the practical uses wc derive from our reflections on the observation in the text, that one generation passeth away and another generation cometh ; from our re-* flections on the character of our deceased friend 1 If indeed your sentiments and feelings are, on this occasion," in unison with my own, I experience a conviction, that we must become better men from a review of the character of that great and good man who se death we now mourn. Almighty God, in thy infinite mercy grant that such a conviction may not prove a delusion ! but that we may, all of us, be ( 33) prepared, by a' faithful course of virtuous obe* dience, to meet at length those departed wor thies, whom here we have loved and venerat ed, in the assembly of the just made perfect, in the regions of complete purity, unfading glory, and unmixt, and interminable,' bliss. /0^5^!5^ E. B. Robinson, Printer, Poultry. in ii1 i » .1..1. imn imii i. ..i